Put to the test

Surprise me View in browser March 15, 2019 LZ Lerman    This week Both of my siblings are extreme athletes who run ultramarathons and duathlons and several regular marathons per year. Personally, I don't enjoy running for hours and hours with no destination. But I've been thinking about feats of endurance lately. Amina and I are deep in writing mode, and "How's the book going?" has become a routine question in my life. I've found myself explaining to many friends that this is akin to standing on the sidelines of a marathon, cupping your hands around your mouth, and yelling to a runner during the first third of a race, "How's! it! going!???" I know what these lovely, supportive people mean is, "I'm thinking about you during this difficult time, and I know you can do it!" But I wish it were more normalized to just say that about non-athletic feats: I know it's hard. I believe you can do it. Keep going.  Meanwhile, the podcast is providing a welcome distraction from the word soup that's leaking across dozens of shared Google Docs! On this episode, Amina and I talk to the incredible Judith Arcana, who was a member of Jane, an underground collective that provided abortions in Chicago back when the procedure was illegal and most of the providers were untrained. She's an important reminder that outlawing abortion does not prevent people from seeking it—often at great risk. But the "before/after Roe v. Wade" frame doesn't encompass the whole picture: For many Americans, abortion is inaccessible now and has been for a long time, and we talked to advocate Renee Bracey Sherman about that. Give it a listen. I'm reading Class rage. How the Uber business model has created a servant economy. When you can't afford a room of one's own—probably because you've asked for a raise but didn't get it. New York's Hudson Yards development is a billionaires' fantasy playground, and Baltimore is worse off than it was before its 2015 uprising. How Elon Musk tried to silence a whistleblower at Tesla. If you care about labor rights and where the items you buy come from, read this piece about supply-chain management software. What's up with the huge Chinese tech company Huawei? Madame CJ Walker: the true iconic self-made beauty entrepreneur. How Carrie Mae Weems rewrote the rules of photography, and Virgil Abloh is shifting high fashion. Diet Prada, a delightful Instagram account holding designers accountable. A wild story of multiple identities and stolen planes. Sex workers are organizing in support of decriminalization. Women in the military were told their health crises were just "female problems." Re-examining LaToya Jackson's statements about her family. Stanford researchers looked at 100 million police traffic stops and found a lot of racial bias. A whole party was sent to jail for less than an ounce of marijuana.What happened to Ramsey Orta, who filmed the killing of his friend Eric Garner. Rob Delaney on navigating catastrophe. A wide-ranging interview with Nancy Pelosi, who says she won't pursue impeachment. The case for making dietary fiber cool. A Robyn dance party doesn't just happen on a subway platform—someone makes it happen. Birding is for punks. Members only Just like a prestigious university, you can pay your way into the members-only version of this newsletter. One small difference: this email is really dang cheap. Just $5 per YEAR! What are you missing? Click here to see what these pie charts are all about. I'm looking & listening Shrill, a Hulu adaptation of Lindy West's book. "Life is very interesting at 95." Vintage shopping with gender-nonconforming writer Jacob Tobia. Beautiful Waffle House vistas. GIFspiration Happy Ides of March. I endorse Setting app limits. Your iPhone (or Android) lets you tell it that you only want to be on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for a combined hour a day—or wherever you set the boundary. After you've spent that hour liking photos of your friends' babies and pets, it'll give you this: I hit that "Remind me in 15 minutes" button if I'm actually doing something important. But more often than not, when I see this screen I realize I'm not. And then, for the rest of the day, every time I go to open Instagram, I see that the app icon is grayed out with a little hourglass next to it. This disincentive is important because my phone tells me that I pick up my phone an average of 70 times a day (!!!!). I know everyone has their own methods for managing the time-suck of Instagram or whatever your digital vice may be. This is mine.  You endorse Flight Simulator. "An 'ode to airplane mode,' this app gives you badges for staying in airplane mode as you 'travel' to airports around the world. The sound effects are a nice touch!" -Joyce. What do you endorse?  Submit a link or some thoughts here. The Classifieds Is our pleasure a revolutionary act? The newest issue of The Vault features perspectives from 14 women on pleasure: where we find it, who gets access to it, and what keeps us from what we truly desire. See more at vaultzine.com/onpleasure COME TO LIKEMINDS 4.0! 9/20-22 in upstate NY, speaker sessions, cabin bed, music, food, drinks included. Discounted until May likeminds.camp Working alone can be a drag. That’s why I created FEMMA: Female Entrepreneur's Master-Mind + Action. We begin on Monday, 4.1.19 LEATHER TRAVEL & WORK BAGS by women-owned Kámen Road committed to natural materials and American artisan and small scale production. Feeling stuck? Get a free, weekly newsletter on how to have a happier, more meaningful life. Ready to explore, heal, celebrate and embody your sexuality & stand fully in your personal power? If 2019 is your YEAR, join a community of powerful women starting NOW to experience sexuality in a way you never have before and show up in your relationships from that place of power. Almost anyone can buy their way into this advertising section! Click for rates + info. Testimonials "I feel seen after reading the @annfriedman pie chart today." -Allison Wright. Like the best personal essays, the pie charts are all about me but the best ones feel universal. Sign up for a paid membership if you wanna see one every Friday. "Here's a newsletter that I always find fun, topical, timely, thoughtful." -Jacqueline Church. Do you think we could successfully make FTTT a shorthand when sharing worthwhile things? #FTTT This newsletter is running the metaphorical marathon. Forward it to someone who meets your personal standards. 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